UCLA BASKETBALL PLAYERS: Arrive Home From China After Shoplifting Incident

The three UCLA basketball players who were held in China for a week after they were accused of shoplifting arrived home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.

LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were being held under house arrest in their hotel room in Hangzhou [pr: hang-zow] after they were accused by authorities there of stealing a pair of sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store.

The matter became an international incident with even President Trump weighing in.

While it’s unclear whether the trio was released due to insufficient evidence or a negotiated deal, Trump implied it was the latter when he credited Chinese President Xi Jinping with stepping in. Trump said, “President Xi has been terrific on that subject. But that was not a good subject. That was not something that should have happened.” (Los Angeles Times)

Fasho Thoughts:

The Bruins basketball team was in China to play a game in Shanghai on Friday.

LiAngelo Ball is the younger brother of former UCLA star and current L.A. Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball.

What started as a good-will trip ended up as an international incident.